24 August 2025: About a week ago, I realized that I taught my first college class in August 2000, I had a milestone coming up: about to start Year 25 of teaching. Then--like just tonight--I realized I missed the milestone. Last year was the start of Year 25.
I remember the day of that first class so clearly. Got to campus early. All dressed up. Anxious as heck in the parking garage beforehand. Such a kid!
So...year 26. Not as flashy, but still something to mark.
22 August 2025: We met the class of 2025 and our transfer students today. Always a long, busy, and exciting day. One more weekend and then it's the new academic year...
16 August 2025: What an absolute blast it was to do a Zoom hang-out with Vogel and our grad school friend Deidre today. These two women are so cool and funny and it felt almost like we were in the same room at times.
11 August 2025: Spent most of the morning at the dealership, including getting new tires. Kind of hard to believe how long I've had the car. I managed to get a bunch of little tasks done (emails, emails, emails) and even a bit of writing for the Year's Work essay.
The best part, though, was getting to catch up with Emma. She just always impresses the heck out of me. We talked a bit about how she's in a kind of "women in leadership" class/group with Subaru and how it feels to move through a male-dominated space (not all bad!). We could have talked for hours, I think, but she was, of course, at work. Still delighted to have seen her.
4 August 2025: Had a bittersweet (but mostly sweet!) lunch with Frank, who graduated from our program a few years ago. He's been working at Shepherd as an admissions counselor, but is now moving onto a new place and a new position.
He's such a good guy. I told him how clearly I remember meeting him and helping him make his first schedule when he started at Shepherd. He was so quiet and seemed shy. And he was far from home, having come from Puerto Rico to live with an aunt and uncle after Hurricane Maria. I worried if he would last. Each semester, there he was--still here and thriving. And when I had him in class for the first time? What an utter delight.
It's been nice to have him around after he graduated, but I am also glad he's spreading his wings a bit and seeing what else the world offers. Low-key jealous of everyone who gets to meet him for the first time and learn what an absolute gem he is.
2 August 2025: Slowly working my way through Forever on Netflix. I still have about an episode and a half to go, but it strikes me as a really beauitful show.
The two kids at the heart of it are so sweet and swoony. They feel real. (A credit to the actors--and all the actors involved.) The parents also seem real and nuanced. They remind me of how hard it must be to love your kids so much yet have this wall that springs up when they reach adolescene.
Little moments are skillfully realized, from the way the kids text each other (or not--lots of hot and cold at times!) to the confrontations between them and their parents.
It's a slow and quiet show, the kind that sometimes get overlooked by larger audiences, but it really is a gem.
31 July 2025:
[Catch-up post...]
I had a delightful time last night seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream last night at the Olney Theater. It was a production but on by Synetic Theatre (they do wordless shows--which are always very cool). It really was terrific--beautifully interpreted with great music, dancing, and lots of great comic moments/performances.
Tim organized the whole thing for a group that also included Kevin (of course!) and our new colleague Michael and his fiance.
